Methods for playing a question and answer game

ABSTRACT

The inventive method consists in marking sold articles with codes and storing them in a server database. Questions and answers are formed and transmitted to user devices. A random code is produced and compared with a user code. The number (N) of questions is determined according to an expression N=S−M+k, wherein S is the total number of symbols in the sequence of the random code, M is a number of coincided symbols in the sequence of random and user code, k is a whole number. The operations of transmitting questions from the server and receiving correct answers from the user device are repeated, the number of transmitted questions and received correct answers being limited according to said mathematical expression. The played user codes are stored in the server database in order to prevent the participation thereof in following draws.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to question and answer games and may be used whenconducting interactive competitions, quizzes, entertainment andcognitive games for a great number of remote users of a networkpreferable the Internet.

PRIOR ART

Known in the art is a method of conducting an interactive competition,where the rules of the said competition are transmitted to remote usersby way of transmitting information messages from the interactivecompetition center, sending them to users' devices, remote users areregistered as participants of the said competition, a message onstarting the competition is transmitted to the participants of the saidcompetition from the interactive competition center, data exchanges arecarried out between users' terminals and the interactive competitioncenter in the process of doing the tasks of the said competition, theresults of participating in the competition are evaluated in theinteractive competition center for all the participants (RU, A,2124753).

In the above method a telecommunication network node is used as theinteractive competition center. Remote users are logged on via atelecommunication network to the telecommunication network node ensuringthe interactive competition. In the process of doing the tasks of thesaid competition the synchronous participation of all the remote usersin the interactive competition is ensured. All the participants of thecompetition are simultaneously given tasks containing questions andvariants of answers from which at least one answer is correct. All theparticipants of the competition are simultaneously allotted one and thesame limited time interval for giving an answer to each task of the saidcompetition by choosing the corresponding variant of an answer. Whilereceiving messages containing the chosen variants of answers, the saidnode records for each task of the said competition the variants ofanswers received from each participant of the said competition. Theresults of the participants of the said competition are evaluateddirectly after receiving in the said node the chosen variants of answersfor each task given by determining the score for the corresponding taskof the said competition and allotting to each participant of the saidcompetition, who has chosen the correct variant of answer, a number ofpoints proportional to the said score of the said competition task.

An advantage of holding competitions with the use of a telecommunicationnetwork is the possibility for any user having a personal computer or adevice for connecting to a network (a workstation, a TV-set, a personaldigital assistant, a phone, etc.) of real-time participating in a quiztogether with many other users.

The limitation of the known method is evaluating the fulfilledcompetition tasks with regard to their complexity. In any case, suchevaluation will be subjective, since the complexity level of tasks andquestions is determined by the game organizers. Furthermore, the fieldof a question mat relate to the professional activities of a gameparticipant, which results in his/her obtaining a higher score incomparison to the other game participants. When holding a quiz, all thecompetition participants are simultaneously given an equal number ofquestions and answers, and that results in the fact that a participanthaving certain knowledge in a definite field, to which asked questionsrelate, as well as certain professional knowledge becomes the winner.When holding such a question and answer game, the element of chance ismissing, which lowers excitement and interest in the game. Such a gameis in no way connected with advertising goods and services, and thatleads to lack of interest from the side of manufacturers of variousproducts in holding it.

Known in the art is a method of holding a quiz via a network, comprisingreceiving information from a user's device, storing information aboutthe respective user in a server data base, provision the quiz with apage containing control questions for users, receiving an answer for thequiz from a user's device, comparing the answer received from the user'sdevice with the correct answer, inputting and storing the quiz results(WO 0186573, G 06 F 19/00, pub. 2001).

In that method the server's page is provided with advertisementsenabling to combine a quiz and goods advertising, which results in theinterest of manufacturing companies in holding a quiz.

The limitation of the above invention is that the relation betweenadvertisements and the quantity of goods sold is missing, which does notstimulate a user to buying various products on sale, since he/she doesnot directly participate in a quiz and are in no way connected to itsresults.

At the same time, as known from the trade practice, holding of simplelotteries of goods on sale, which are marked differently, is of purerandom character, limits the number of participants and winners of suchlotteries, and is in no way connected to improving the scope of mentaloutlook, erudition and intellectual level of goods users. Moreover,being victorious in a lottery is usually connected to the coincidence ofcertain users' numbers (number of their lottery tickets or labels ongoods on sale) with “lucky” numbers determined randomly, without askingany questions to the participants in a lottery. The coincidence ofnumbers is usually calculated by a probabilistic approach, therefore themanufacturer of certain goods roughly knows what number of goods shouldbe sold for repaying a lottery of goods on sale. But holding of usualadvertising campaigns for various lotteries is obtrusive for users. Invirtue of a pure chance of being victorious, such lotteries raise doubtsin users with respect to the possibility of getting any of the prizesraffled.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is based on the objective to create a method ofplaying a question and answer game (quiz) where, with the use of atelecommunication network, asking questions and receiving answers wouldbe connected to sales of goods in such a way that to increase the numberof quiz participants according to a number of goods bought by them,raise the interest in both holding the quiz itself and buying ever newgoods without usual advertising means directly on the server page, and,thus, improve the entertaining character of a quiz when selling variousgoods, provide goods with indirect advertising, expand the meansavailable for advertising goods on sale, ensure the possibility ofholding quizzes and realizing prizes depending on the erudition of quizparticipants and, at the same time, depending on the quantity of thegoods bought by them, decrease the competition element directly betweenthe players depending on their professional knowledge.

In order to achieve the set objective this method of playing a questionand answer game includes:

-   -   marking products on sale with codes individual and        non-repeatable on the products on sale and composed of symbols        each of which is arranged in a consecutive order;    -   storing the codes of goods on sale in a data base of a server        with the installed game software;    -   forming and storing in the data base of the server questions and        answers for them, for each question several answers being        formed, only one of them is correct;    -   generating a random code having certain symbol number and types        corresponding to the number and types of symbols included in        codes of products on sale; storing the said random code in the        server;    -   storing in the server data base information on a user's device        logged on through a network to the server, and identification of        the user;    -   receiving from a user's device and storing in the server at        least one of users' codes transmitted by the user's device; the        user's code should correspond to the code of a product on sale;    -   checking the relevancy of the user's code, namely: whether it        corresponds to the code of a product on sale and whether it        participated in previous games; if the user's code is different        from the code of a product on sale or if the user's code        participated in previous games, the game with this user's device        is interrupted, but if the user's code corresponds to the code        of a product on sale and did not participate in previous games,        the game with this user's device continues;    -   comparing the random code with the user's code for the purpose        of determining the order of positions of the same symbols in the        random code with the consecutive order of positions of symbols        in the user's code; if at least one coincidence of the same        symbol in its position in the random code sequence with the        position of the same symbol in the user's code sequence is        available, from the server data base is randomly extracted at        least one question together with the answers for it, only one of        them being correct, and transmitting this question together with        the answers to the user's device;    -   the total number N of questions, which are transmitted to a        user's device from the server, is connected to the number of        coincidences of the position order of random code same symbols        in their sequence in accordance with the mathematical        expression:        N=S−M+k, where        -   S—total number of symbols in the random code sequence;        -   M—number of coincided symbols in the sequences of the random            code and the user's code;        -   k—an integer;    -   receiving in the server from a user's device via a network an        answer, checking its correctness in the server, if the answer is        correct, the next question, randomly selected from the server        data base, being sent to the user's device; but if the answer is        incorrect the transmission of questions is interrupted while        storing in the server data base the user's code participating in        the game for the purpose of excluding it by the server from        participation in next games; if the answer is correct, the next        question as chosen from the server data base, together with        answers, one of them being correct, is transmitted from the        server via the network;    -   the operations of transmitting questions by the server and        receiving correct answers from the user's device are repeated,        while limiting the number of transmitted questions and received        correct answers in accordance with the above mathematical        expression;    -   if correct answers have been given to all the questions, the        number of which is determined in accordance with the above        mathematical expression, then a message on victory is formed in        the server, and such a message is transmitted via the network to        the user's device, while storing this user's code in the server        data base for the purpose of excluding its acceptance by the        server and participation in next games.

Additional variants of implementing the inventive method are possible,where it is expedient that:

-   -   questions together with answers are transmitted to a user's        device in the form of images of questions and answers on the        server page and/or their sound recording;    -   figures are used as symbols;    -   letters are used as symbols;    -   images are used as symbols;    -   in storing codes of products on sale in the data base of the        server with the installed game software, the type of a product        for sale is stored in addition, which should be entered into the        code in the form of a definite preset symbol, and when checking        the relevancy of a user's code to the code of products on sale        in the server, the user's code is additionally checked for its        compliance with the definite preset symbol; and if the definite        preset symbol from the user's code is different from the        definite preset symbol for the type of a product for sale, then        the game with that user's device is interrupted, and if the        definite preset symbol of the user's code corresponds to the        definite preset symbol of that product for sale, then the game        with that user's device continues;    -   a personal computer with a modem is used as the user's device;    -   equipment of the interactive television is used as the user's        device;    -   a phone equipped with means for connecting to the Internet is        used as the user's device;    -   a random code is stored in the server within a preset time        interval; after which another random code should be randomly        generated, having the symbols number and type that correspond to        the number and types of code symbols of the products for sale,        and that another random code is stored in the server;    -   the time for transmitting a reply from the user's device to the        server should be limited by a preset value, and an additional        message should be introduced, informing about the limitation of        the time, when transmitting a question from the server to the        user's device;    -   food stuffs are used as products on sale;    -   printed matter is used as products on sale;    -   garments are used as products on sale.

The set objective has been fulfilled and a technical result has beenachieved due to marking of the products on sale with codes, generating arandom code, comparing a user's code with the random code, puttingquestions before a user in dependence with the number of coincidingsymbols in the user's code and the random code, as well as storingusers' codes, which have participated in the game, in the server database.

The stated advantages as well as the peculiar features of this inventionwill be further explained by its preferred embodiments together withreferences to the appended drawings.

BRIEF LIST OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows possible variants of codes for marking products for sale:a—as figures, b—as letters, c—as an image, d—as a letter and figures.

FIG. 2 shows an example of comparing whether the symbols of the user'scode and the random code coincide.

FIG. 3 shows another example in accordance with FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows another example in accordance with FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows another example in accordance with FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the operating algorithm of theserver software.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The claimed method for playing a question and answer game may beimplemented with the use of any system for connecting a user's device toa server via the Internet, therefore this well-known system ofconnecting, e.g., through providers at the electronic address of aserver, is not described in this application. The method may beimplemented when holding interactive games for a great number of remoteusers via telecommunication networks. For example, a personal computerwith a modem, or equipment for interactive television, or a phoneprovided with means for connecting to the Internet, or any otherequipment provided with means for connecting to a server via theInternet and with means for receiving and displaying information by theuser may be used as a user's device.

The method of playing a question and answer game includes, first of all,marking the products on sale with codes 1 (FIG. 1), which are individualand unique for the products on sale and are composed of symbols 2. Eachof symbols 2 is consecutively ordered one by one.

Figures (FIG. 1 a), letters (FIG. 1 b) or images (FIG. 1 c) may be usedas symbols 2. Mixed use of various types of symbols, e.g., letters andfigures (FIG. 1 d), is also possible.

As products on sale absolutely different products may be used, e.g.,food stuffs (sausage, cheese, vine, bread, etc.), printed matter (books,magazines, notebooks, etc.) or garments (suits, blouses, shoes, etc.) orhousehold appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, mixers,coffee-makers, etc.). The products on sale are marked with codes 1 by,e.g., sticking labels with codes made on them to the packages of theproducts on sale. After a buyer acquires even one marked product, he/shemay participate in the announced game.

All the codes issued by the manufacturer for products on sale are storedin the data base of the server with the installed game software. In thiscase a mixed marking of products on sale is possible (FIG. 1 d), e.g.,by letters and figures, where a letter denotes the type of a product forsale. For example, letter A denotes dairy food stuffs, letter R denotesshoes, letter Z denotes household appliances. The other symbols 2, e.g.,figures, are used for coding the products on sale in a consecutiveorder. The number of symbols 2 may be quite different and is determined,mainly, by the total quantity of the products on sale. The type ofcoding is determined by the game organizers.

Questions and answers for the, are formed in the data base of a server.For each question several answers are formed, e.g., four or five, onlyone of them is correct. The data base containing questions and answersmay be formed by the game organizers or directly by players. If the database is formed by the players, they send their questions together withvariants of correct and incorrect answers to the server. The gameconcept does not presupposes a competition between the players and isnot of competition nature, therefore questions may have differentcomplexity and relate to absolutely different fields of knowledge(history, geography, literature, mathematics, etc.).

A random code 3 having the number and the type of symbols 2, whichcorrespond to the number and the type of symbols 2 used in codes 1 ofthe products on sale (FIG. 2-5), is randomly generated in the server.This random code 3 is stored in the server. A random code 3 in theserver is stored for a definite period of time, e.g., for a day, week,decade, month. The time interval for a random code 3 for its applicationis determined by the game organizers.

After the expiration of the application period of the first random code3 another random code 3 having some number and type of symbols 2, whichare also correspond to the number and the type of symbols of codes 1 forthe products on sale, is randomly generated. That another random code 2is stored in the server for using it in the next game. Thus, theproducts that have been bought earlier may participate in the game atits any stage, which is important for increasing customer demand forvarious goods.

Several variants of generating a random code 3 are possible. Forexample, each week the game organizer announces a random code 3 (number)for the current week. The code is determined randomly, with the use of alottery drum during a TV-show on air, or by any other method. From thetime of announcement the former random code 3 loses its game features,and the new random code 3 is considered as winning till the beginning ofthe next TV-show, which will determine a new winning random code 3.

Moreover, a specific random code 2 valid in a given time interval maynot be announced by the game organizers beforehand. The user of a user'sdevice (e.g., a personal computer) may know it only after inputting onthe server at least one his/her user's code 4. (In the present inventionunder the term “user's code 4” is understood the code 1 of a sold andbought product, which that player inputs on the server.) Therefore, itis advantageous for a player to buy several products of the same type inorder to know whether it is worth for him to play his user's code 4,since the claimed method of playing a question and answer game(interactive competition) is based on a random event, e.g., coincidenceof the number and location of symbols 2 of a random code 3 and symbols 2of the code 1 used on the product bought by him.

In order to play the game with a particular user data on the user'sdevice connected to the server via a network is stored in the data base,after which the user's identification is checked. The player is allotteda personal identification number (PIN-code). In such a case new playersare registered in the player data base of the server, and the players,who participated in the game earlier, may use their PIN-codes alreadyallotted to them.

Then at least one of the user's codes 4, as transmitted by the user'sdevice of a player, is received from the user's device and stored in theserver. (The user's code 4 should correspond to the code 1 of theproducts on sale, which have been bought by that player.) The user'scode 4 is checked for relevancy to the code 1 of one of the products onsale for the purpose of determining whether that user's code 4participated in previous games. If the user's code 4 by itsconfiguration, e.g., by the total number of the used symbols 2 or by acertain preset symbol (known to the game organizers), e.g., by theletter coding the type of the product, as stated in a definite positionof the sequence of the code 4, is different from the code 1 of theproducts on sale, then the game with that user's device is interrupted.If a user's code 4 has already participated in previous games, then thegame with that user's device is also interrupted. If the user's code 4corresponds to the configuration of one of the codes used for theproducts on sale and if that user's code 4 has not participated in theprevious games, then the game with that user's device continues. Due tofulfillment of the described operations the participation in the game ofearlier played users' codes 4 (and, correspondingly, codes 1 of theproducts on sale) or codes entered by guess and not-peculiar to a giventype of products is excluded.

The random code 3 is compared with the user's code 4 to check whetherthe order of the positions of the same symbols 2 of the random code 3corresponds to the sequence order of the positions of the same symbols 2of the user's code 4 (FIGS. 2, 3, 5). If there is at least onecoincidence of the same symbol 2 in its position in the sequence of therandom code 3 with the position of the same symbol 2 in the sequence ofthe user's code 4 from the server data base in the random manner or inthe order of their location in the server data base, the respectivequestion together with the stored answers for it (only one of them iscorrect) are extracted. That question together with the answers istransmitted via a network to the user's device.

FIG. 2 shows three coincidences of the positions of symbols 2, i.e.,figures in 9-digit number of the random code 3 and the user's code 4.FIG. 3 shows eight coincidences of symbols 2, i.e., images of suits ofplaying cards of the random code 3 and the user's code 4, when the totalnumber of symbols 2 in one of the codes is nine. The coinciding symbols2, for the purpose of easier reading the figures are enclosed in anoval. FIG. 5 shows the full coincidence of the positions of symbols 2,i.e., letters of the random code 3 and the user's code 4 when the totalnumber of letters used in one of the codes is seven.

FIG. 4 shows the situation described above, when the positions ofseveral symbols 2. i.e., letters, coincide, but the type of the goodscoded by symbol 2, i.e., by a letter, does not coincide. That user'scode 4 may not participate in the game. For the exclusion of enteringillegal users' codes 4 for types of goods on sale when storing the codes1 of the products on sale the type of the product on sale is storedalso, which is entered in the code 1 as a definite preset symbol 5,e.g., a letter, a sign, etc. When checking the relevancy of a user'scode 4 to the code 1 of the product on sale, an additional check isperformed in the server in order to determine whether it complies withthe definite (set by the game organizers) symbol 5 (its location anddesignation). If the definite preset symbol 5 in the user's code 4 isdifferent from the definite preset symbol 5 for the type of the producton sale, then the game with that user's device is interrupted. If thedefinite preset symbol 5 of the user's code 4 corresponds to thedefinite preset symbol 5 of the product on sale, then the game with thatuser's device continues. The variant shown in FIG. 4 may be used by thegame organizers for delimiting quizzes according to types of products onsale as well as for further excluding the possibility of unfair (withoutbuying goods) entering into the game or entering by guess.

A specific feature of the claimed game is that the total number N ofquestions transmitted to a user's device from the server is connected tothe number of coincidences of the position order of the same symbols 2of a random code 3 in their sequence and the number of coincidences ofthe position order of symbols 2 of the user's code 4 in their sequencein accordance with the mathematical expression:N=S−M+k, where

-   -   S—total number of symbols in the sequence of a random code 3        (and, respectively, exactly the same in the sequence of a user's        code 4);    -   M—number of coincided symbols in the sequences of the random        code 3 and the user's code 4;    -   k—an integer (e.g., 0 or 1 or 2 or 3, etc up to any K).

The number k is set by the game organizers and in the simplest cases maybe equal to “1”, when a participant of the game, if all the symbols 2 ofthe random code 3 and the user's code 4 fully coincide, is asked onlyone question.

Thus, for example, FIG. 2 shows three coincidences of symbols 2 of therandom code 3 and the user's code 4. M=3, S=9. Therefore, at k=1 thetotal number N of questions asked by the server from that user's devicewill be N=9−3+1=7.

In the example shown in FIG. 3 there are eight coincidences of thepositions of symbols 2 of the random code 3 and the user's code 4 (M=8),and the total number of symbols 2 in the sequence is nine (S=9).Therefore, at k=1, the total number N of questions asked by the serverfrom that user's device will be N=9−8+1=2.

In the example shown in FIG. 5 the total number of symbols 2 in thesequence of the codes 3 and 4 is seven (S=7), and they all coincide(M=7). Therefore, at k=1, the total number N of questions asked by theserver from that user's device will be N=7−7+1=1.

Thus, the greater is the number of coinciding positions of symbols 2 intheir sequences of the random code 3 and the user's code 4, the lessernumber of questions is asked from that quiz player. Thus, apart from therandom character of asking questions in the game and their number, whenrealizing the claimed game it is also possible that a user of a user'sdevice, who is a man with great erudition, will be victorious, in spiteof coincidence of only a small number of symbols 2 (even one symbol 2)in the sequence of the code 1 of the products on sale (the goods boughtby him/her) with a random code 3.

At k=0 the user of a user's device, when all symbols 2 in the sequencesof the random code 3 and the user's code 4 coincide, has the possibilitynot to answer questions and get a prize, and the user of a user'sdevice, who has correctly answered all N questions, the number of whichis determined in accordance with the above mathematical expression, mayget a prize exactly equal as to its value.

For the purpose of evaluating the correctness of answers one answer,e.g., the number of a question, is received by the server from theuser's device via a network, and its correctness is evaluated in theserver. If the answer is correct, the next question, which is selectedfrom the server data base randomly or in the consecutive order of thequestions in the data base, is transmitted to the user's device. If evenone answer is incorrect, the transmission of questions is interrupted.If an answer is incorrect, the user's code 4, which has participated inthe game, is stored in the server data base for the purpose of excludingits acceptance by the server and participation in next games. If ananswer is correct, the next question, which is selected from the serverdata base, is transmitted from the server to the user's device togetherwith answers, one of them being correct.

The operations of transmitting questions by the server and receivingcorrect answers from the user's device are repeated. In such cases thenumber N of transmitted questions and received correct answers islimited in accordance with the above mathematical expression.Furthermore, the time for transmitting answers from a user's device tothe server may be limited by a preset value, e.g., 2 or 10 minutes, inorder to shorten the total time available for holding a quiz and inorder the user of a user's device may not take encyclopedic literatureor reference books. An additional message should be introduced,informing about the limitation of the time, when transmitting a questionfrom the server to the user's device, where the specific time intervalfor sending back an answer is stated.

In a case where correct answers have been given for all questions, whichnumber N is determined in accordance with the above mathematicalexpression, a winning message is formed in the server, e.g., a messageon the number of points won by that player or on awarding the prize tohim/her. That message is transmitted from the server to the user'sdevice, and that played user's code 4 is stored in the server data basefor the purpose of excluding its acceptance by the server andparticipation in next games.

For the implementation of the claimed method the following schematicdiagram of operating the server may be used (see FIG. 6).

The block 1 is the arrival of a player in the game system, where theuser of a user's device is invited to enter the PIN-code or register.

The logical block 2 presents two options: either the player is anewcomer (not registered) or the player has already been registered inthe system and has hi/her PIN-code.

If a player is already registered in the system, all he needs to startgame is to enter his/her PIN-code. The PIN-code of a registered playeris entered in the block 3.

If a player is a newcomer, he/she must register in the system. For thishe/she is asked to complete a certain questionnaire, after which thesystem generates his/her personal PIN-code (block 4). In such a case thesystem records that new player in the Data Base “Players” (block 6).

After checking the entered PIN-code in the block 3 or after generatingand entering a new PIN-code, the system performs identification andauthorization of that player (block 5), communicating for this with theData Base (DB) “Players” (block 6).

After the authorization of a player the information inviting to enterthe user's code 4 is displayed on the user's device (block 7).

After the player has entered the user's code 4, the server checks theuser's code 4 (logical block 8) for the compliance with codes 1 of theproducts on sale (according to the form and configuration of the codes).For this the system communicates with the Data Base “Codes” (block 9).The block 9 comprises two data bases, i.e., the Product Code DB (block9.1) and the Played Code DB (block 9.2). The check is performedaccording to two parameters: whether the given user's code 4 (block 9.1)really exists, and whether it has played earlier (block 9.2). If theentered user's code 4 does not comply with any one of the saidparameters (FIG. 4), the system issues an error message and sends theprocedure back to the block 7, giving to the player the possibility ofentering a new user's code 4 in the block 7.

After checking the entered user's code 4 for the compliance of the saidparameters, in a case where the user's code 4 corresponds to a code 1 ofproducts on sale and has not participated in the game earlier, thetransfer to the block 10 if performed. The block 10 also receivesinformation on the random code 3 (from the block 11). An arbitrary setof symbols 2 of the random code 3 (block 11) is formed by the randomcode generator (block 13), which is a definite capacity random numbergenerator; the said arbitrary set is valid for a definite time betweenthe preset initial time and the cut-off time, which is set by a timer(block 12), e.g., a day, a week or a month. In this case the said randomcode 3 is not known by players at their first entering the system.Moreover, the random code 3 may be entered into the block 11 of theserver by the game organizers after holding, e.g., a TV-show where alottery machine orderly ejects balls with figures. The positions ofsymbols 2 of the random code 3 from the block 11 are compared with thepositions of symbols 2 of the user's code 4 coming from the block 8,where the latter code, after being checked in the block 8, has the sametotal number of symbols S as the random code 3 (FIGS. 2, 3, 5).

After comparing the entered user's code 4 with the random code 3 validat this moment, the system determines the number of questions forplayers according to the formula N=S−M+k (block 14).

The information on the number of questions and answers is transmittedfrom the block 14 to the question and answer counter (block 15).

After determining the number N of questions the system forms onequestion and several answers (block 16), for which it is communicatedwith the Questions and Answers DB (block 17) displaying one of thequestions and several variants of answers (one of them being correct) onthe user's device.

The player selects and enters one of the answers proposed by the system(block 18).

The logical block 19 checks the answers given by the players accordingto two parameters: whether the answer is correct and whether this answerhas been sent within the definite final set time. For this the systemcommunicates with the Questions and Answers DB (block 17) and the timer(block 20) setting a time interval for giving an answer.

In a case where even one of the above parameters does not correspond tothe set ones, the system issues an error message. The answer of theplayer is not counted, the block 21 routes the user's procedure to theblock 7, thus giving to him/her a possibility to enter a new user's code4. At the same time, the block 21 sends to the Played Code DB (block9.2) the information for recording that this user's code has alreadyplayed.

In a case where the answer is correct and is given in time, the systemcounts it (block 22) and refers to the logical block 23 for checking thecompliance of the number n of correct answers with the number N ofquestions. If the number n of correct answers is less than the number Nof questions, which is compared with the information stored in the block15, then the transfer to the block 16 is effected. The player is asked anew question and variants of answers are given. If the number n ofcorrect answers is equal to the number N of questions, the system sendsto the user's device a winning message (block 24), makes a record in theDB “Players” (block 6) concerning allotting winning points to thatplayer, makes a record in the DB “Codes” (block 9.2—DB “Played Codes”)to the extent that the given user's code 4 has already played, andtransfers to the block 7, giving the player a possibility of starting anew game and entering a new user's code 4.

For each player registered in the system a personal account may be open,where the number of prizes is recorded. Each prize (i.e., each winninguser's code 4) corresponds to the played code 1 of product on sale;moreover, the player may be allotted a certain number of points, the sumof which, in its turn, may serve as a measure of the prize value. Thepoints got for each winning user's code 4 may be summed up (this is notshown in FIG. 6, since it relates to the rules of holding a game, as setby the organizers, rather than to the essence of the claimed invention).Thus, a player victorious because of a greater number of users' codes 4,i.e., who has bought more goods with code 1, may get more valuable prizethan a player, who has played only with one of the users' codes 4. Thisstimulates the users and the game participants to continue buyingvarious products.

Thus, the claimed method of playing a question and answer gamestimulates a user to buy as many goods having a corresponding marking aspossible in order to participate in the game. For participating in thegame a user should become a holder of a unique playing coupon bearing acode 1 in the form of the sequence of symbols 2. Playing coupons aredistributed free, but one may get them through buying goods. In order toget prizes, players may present to the game organizers (personally orvia mail) the original labels (coupons) with codes 1 of the goods boughtby them.

At all this the whole process of the game (registration of participants,check of the number of coinciding symbols 2, analysis of answers givenby players) is carried out in the automatic mode, which ensures theobjectiveness of decisions taken and makes the game terminal permanentlyaccessible.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The claimed method of playing a question and answer game may be mostsuccessfully applied industrially when it is performed via the Internetfor the purpose of increasing the number of quiz participants and,accordingly, the number of goods bought by them. The method promotes thedevelopment of interest both in holding quizzes themselves and in buyingever new goods when usual means of advertising such goods are missing onthe server's page in the direct form.

1. A method of playing a question and answer game, comprising: markingproducts on sale with codes individual and non-repeatable on theproducts on sale and composed of symbols each of which is arranged in aconsecutive order; storing the codes of goods on sale in a data base ofa server with the installed game software; forming and storing in a database of the server questions and answers for them, for each questionseveral answers being formed, only one of them being correct; generatinga random code having certain symbols number and types corresponding tothe number and types of symbols included in the codes of products onsale; storing the said random code in the server; storing in the serverdata base information on a user's device logged on through a network tothe server, and identification of the user; receiving from a user'sdevice and storing in the server at least one of users' codestransmitted by the user's device; the user's code should correspond tothe code of a product on sale; checking the relevancy of the user'scode, namely: whether it corresponds to the code of a product on saleand whether it has participated in previous games; if the user's code isdifferent from the code of a product on sale or if the user's code hasparticipated in previous games, the game with this user's device isinterrupted, but if the user's code corresponds to the code of a producton sale and has not participate in previous games, the game with thisuser's device continues; comparing the random code with the user's codefor the purpose of determining the order of positions of the samesymbols in the random code with the consecutive order of positions ofsymbols in the user's code; if at least one coincidence of the samesymbol in its position in the random code sequence with the position ofthe same symbol in the user's code sequence is available, from theserver data base is randomly extracted at least one question togetherwith the answers for it, only one of them being correct, andtransmitting this question together with the answers to the user'sdevice; a total number N of questions, which are transmitted to a user'sdevice from the server, is connected to the number of coincidences ofthe position order of random code same symbols in their sequence inaccordance with the mathematical expression:N=S−M+k, where S—total number of symbols in the random coda sequence;M—number of coincided symbols in the sequences of the random code andthe user's code; k—an integer; receiving in the server from a user'sdevice via a network an answer, checking its correctness in the server,if the answer is correct, the next question, as selected from the serverdata base, being sent to the user's device; but if the answer isincorrect the transmission of questions is interrupted while storing inthe server data base the user's code participating in the game for thepurpose of excluding its acceptance by the server and participation innext games; if the answer is correct, the next question as chosen fromthe server data base, together with answers, one of them being correct,is transmitted from the server via the network; the operations oftransmitting questions by the server and receiving correct answers fromthe user's device are repeated, while limiting the number of transmittedquestions and received correct answers in accordance with the abovemathematical expression; if correct answers have been given to all thequestions, the number of which is determined in accordance with theabove mathematical expression, then a message on victory is formed inthe server, and such a message is transmitted via the network to theuser's device, while storing this user's code in the server data basefor the purpose of excluding its acceptance by the server andparticipation in next games.
 2. The method of playing a game accordingto claim 1, characterized in that questions and answers are transmittedfrom the server to a user's device in the form of images of questionsand answers on the server page and/or their sound recording.
 3. Themethod of playing a game according to claim 1, characterized in thatfigures are used as symbols.
 4. The method of playing a game accordingto claim 1, characterized in that letters are used as symbols.
 5. Themethod of playing a game according to claim 1, characterized in thatimages are used as symbols.
 6. The method of playing a game according toclaim 1, characterized in that in storing codes of products on sale inthe data base of the server with the installed game software, the typeof a product for sale is stored in addition, which should be enteredinto the code in the form of a definite preset symbol, and when checkingthe relevancy of a user's code to the code of products on sale in theserver, the user's code is additionally checked for its compliance withthe definite preset symbol; and if the definite preset symbol from theuser's code is different from the definite preset symbol for the type ofa product for sale, then the game with that user's device isinterrupted, and if the definite preset symbol of the user's codecorresponds to the definite preset symbol of that product for sale, thenthe game with that user's device continues.
 7. The method of playing agame according to claim 1, characterized in that a personal computerwith a modem is used as a user's device.
 8. The method of playing a gameaccording to claim 1, characterized in that equipment of interactivetelevision is used as a user's device.
 9. The method of playing a gameaccording to claim 1, characterized in that a phone provided with meansfor connecting to the Internet is used as a user's device.
 10. Themethod of playing a game according to claim 1, characterized in that arandom code is stored in the server within a preset time interval; afterwhich another random code should be randomly generated, having thesymbols number and type that correspond to the number and types of codesymbols on the products for sale, and that another random code is storedin the server.
 11. The method of playing a game according to claim 1,characterized in that the time for transmitting a reply from a user'sdevice to the server is limited by a preset value, and an additionalmessage is introduced, informing about the limitation of the time, whentransmitting a question from the server to the user's device.
 12. Themethod of playing a game according to claim 1, characterized in thatfood stuffs are used as products on sale.
 13. The method of playing agame according to claim 1, characterized in that printed matter is usedas products on sale.
 14. The method of playing a game according to claim1, characterized in that garments are used as products on sale.